Posts for Jun, 2006.

6/30/2006 8:03:00 AM

Authorial Intent

The First Step Toward Understanding Scripture

Posted Friday, June 30, 2006 by Brian Beers
Categories: Bible   Comments: 4
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When scripture appears to be open to different interpretations depending upon interpreters’ presuppositions than the task at hand is no longer interpreting scripture, but arguing opinions.

The interpretation of scripture transcends what we bring to the text. Authorial intent does not change. Some discard authorial intent as an impossible standard. It may appear subjective. One may claim to find authorial intent with only a cursory examination of the text. Another believes that his speculations about the circumstances of the author establishes a better authorial intent. Neither trusts the text of the scripture they wish to interpret. Mistakes in interpretation are much easier to perpetuate in isolation. The community of faith is a guard against such misinterpretation.

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6/26/2006 10:31:00 PM

It’s Cancer

Posted Monday, June 26, 2006 by Brian Beers
Comments: 2
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Back in March, the doctor noticed that the left side of my thyroid was enlarged. Last Wednesday, I had a second biopsy because the first came back “non-diagnostic,” a technical term for “didn't get the bad stuff with all that pokin’ around.”

This biopsy came back diagnostic, and the diagnosis was cancer. If you were told that you were gonna get cancer, but you got to pick which kind...this would be a good choice. It doesn't metastasize (spread and kill all of you), but it is cancer, and it will be cut out.

The exorcism is July 19th. So I have three weeks. And I have committed these three weeks to a reflection on life vs. sin & death and my role in this conflict. Sidelines are non-existent in this conflict so I really have no idea where I have been sitting.

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6/25/2006 8:40:00 AM

CS Lewis in Space

Posted Sunday, June 25, 2006 by Charlie Trimm
Comments: 2
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While the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis are well known, his space trilogy toils in relative obscurity. I just finished reading the trilogy again for the first time since high school, and have enjoyed reading them. However, there is a reason that the Chronicles of Narnia are famous and the space trilogy is not: it is simply weird. The first book is kind of a classic “man gets kidnapped, goes into outer space with the evil scientist, meets odd creatures, and saves the day” type of book, except that the God of the Bible and various angels get thrown into the mix. The second one is extremely strange. The plot of the book basically is a Satan possessed virtually immortal evil scientist follows naked green innocent lady around Venus while main character follows both of them, once again saving the day. In another perspective, the book is about “Adam and Eve” on Venus, the temptation of Eve, and what would have happened if they had not sinned. The third book occurs on earth, where evil demons work through evil men to try and take over the world using re-animated heads and a nazified experimental program on unfortunates while the heroes gather together to fight against them, eventually conquering them through a resurrected Merlin. While they are a fun read, they are just strange. But inside the weirdness are plenty of fascinating thoughts, and I have included several of them below.

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6/20/2006 10:25:00 AM

Mark: The Gospel of Frustration

Posted Tuesday, June 20, 2006 by Brian Beers
Categories: Mark   Comments: None
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Mark has an amazing percentage of stories that reveal Jesus’ frustration during his ministry: healings ending with commands for silence that were ignored, escaping crowds only seeking healing, continual conflict with the religiosos, and amazement at the pandemic lack of faith. Mark reveals Jesus as a man whose ministry did not go as he wanted it to go.

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6/19/2006 9:59:00 AM

Cep to a what? The Old Testament in Greek Part 3

Posted Monday, June 19, 2006 by Charlie Trimm
Comments: 2
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This is the third and final installment in my review of Invitation to the Septuagint by Karen Jobes and Moises Silva. I recommend the book if you want to get a good grounding in the LXX and why it is important. Read more of Cep to a what? The Old Testament in Greek Part 3


6/12/2006 9:33:00 AM

Theoblogian not Hung Over

Posted Monday, June 12, 2006 by Brian Beers
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If you tried to visit yesterday, you would have seen an ugly error message saying (in essence) that you didn’t get to enjoy the brilliance that is Theoblogian.org. It said it in very precise computereeze, but may have appeared incoherent, and you might have thought Theoblogian partied a little too hard on its birthday.

The truth is that Sunday morning, sometime after 7AM one of the servers here where we host Theoblogian died a gruesome death. Official cause of death is “failure on its hard drive controller.”

Thank you for your patience and for checking back to make sure that Theoblogian.org is virtually OK.

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6/10/2006 11:56:00 AM

Happy Birthday Theoblogian.org.

One year and counting

Posted Saturday, June 10, 2006 by Brian Beers
Comments: 2
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June 10th, 2005 Theoblogian was unveiled. Thank you to all of you who have come by and enjoyed, endured or otherwise read what we have written. This has been an interesting year. Most of you appreciated what we have written, a few have even been offended. I understand this could be considered a badge of honor, but I just want to acknowledge each of my fellow theoblogians. Read more of Happy Birthday Theoblogian.org.


6/7/2006 2:25:00 PM

Review: Why Men Hate Going to Church

Posted Wednesday, June 07, 2006 by Brian Beers
Comments: 1
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David Murrow's book, Why Men Hate Going to Church is an amazing book that actually answers the question of the title. I learned of the book while writing Is God Manly? and picked it up hoping to gain another man's perspective on the intersection of manliness and godliness. I was a bit disappointed, though. Murrow answered the question implied by the title, but not mine. His assumption appears to be that godliness is the automatic result of involvement in church.

The other day Adam contributed to the discussion on Is God Manly and asked, “If the leaders of the church are men, how did feminine values become predominant?” Murrow asks the same question, “How did a faith founded by a Man and his twelve male disciples become so popular with women, but anathema to men?”

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6/6/2006 12:59:00 PM

Translating Lincoln

Translation Challenges Seen Through the Gettysburg Addess

Posted Tuesday, June 06, 2006 by Brian Beers
Categories: Humor   Comments: None
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Before four notch and seven years our fathers got further, after this continent, a new nation, understood in the liberty, and the affair inaugurated that all men are caused on an equal footing.

This is the opening sentence of the Gettysburg Address translated both to and from German. It is recognizable, yet nothing like the original. The U.S. Department of State website says of the Gettysburg Address

Few documents in the growth of American democracy are as well known or as beloved as the prose poem Abraham Lincoln delivered at the dedication of the military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

This makes it ideal for demonstrating the difficulties of translating the Bible. Unless you know a second language, the difficulties and pitfalls of translating between languages may be difficult to grasp, but thanks to the Babel Fish we may understand the difficulties through a truly American text.

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6/5/2006 6:56:00 PM

The Englishman’s Greek Concordance Comes Through Again!

An observation in John

Posted Monday, June 05, 2006 by Sam Yeiter
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A couple months ago I was wrapping up my study for the final sermons in my series on Mark.  This time through I was considering the concept of faith in the book of Mark.  I whipped open my Englishman’s Greek Concordance, and stumbled upon a glorious curiosity.  Read more if you dare. Read more of The Englishman’s Greek Concordance Comes Through Again!


6/3/2006 8:34:00 AM

The Error of the Pharisees

The Failure to Keep Reading

Posted Saturday, June 03, 2006 by Brian Beers
Comments: 2
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The error of the Pharisees and scribes was the failure to distinguish between their teachings based on Scripture and the Scriptures themselves. Generations of men had treasured and pored over the Scriptures and contributed their insights into the meaning of the Scriptures. These became the Talmud, the record of Rabbinic discussion and the fundamental source for rabbinic legislation and case law. Jesus condemns them for giving greater authority to these  interpretations and applications of Scripture than Scripture. “For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God, you hypocrites!” (Matthew 15:6)

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6/2/2006 2:44:00 PM

Do you have the right to be you?

Posted Friday, June 02, 2006 by Charlie Trimm
Comments: 5
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I've been thinking recently about something that I wanted your input on. Do we have the need, or even the right, to be us? That is, because of who we are, do we need to act that way? Being American, I've always considered that we need to not put on a mask, but just be our true self at all times, and if people do not like it, then they need to change. But I'm starting to rethink this. Now, I'm not even sure that we have the privilege to do that as much as we think we can. Read more of Do you have the right to be you?